If $99 per year is dust to you then this post is not for you 🙂
If it is, then please take a look !
A fact is that it will cost $99 per year to be able to publish mobile applications to AppStore. For any indie developers that is at the first step of publishing their app, this cost might cause some hesitation.
In case that your application is simple, which is not depends system level APIs such as GPS, File System, Bluetooth, Background Activities or Push Notification, it is possible to make use of PWA feature that is supported by Safari browser which always available on iOS and MacOS.
PWA stands for Progressive Web App. It is a web app, but can be installed into smart phones like a mobile app. Simply put, instead of accessing via a web browser like Safari or Chrome, users can find an icon on their phone, tap it and open the app. This experience makes it feel like it is a mobile app, but under beneath, it opens a browser session and render HTML, JS, CSS code. Although the feel when using PWA app is not as smooth and optimized as when on mobile app, it is acceptable for simple tools, content-first applications, or admin dashboards.
I will take one of my favorite PWA application, Meme Express, as an example. Meme Express is a meme editor that I am using on my Macbook and iPhone whenever I want to make a meme. This meme editor is built with Flutter framework. It has a native app on PlayStore for Android, and a PWA version for the rest of OS including: iOS, MacOS, Window and Linux, essentially, any device can run a browser.
How is PWA version of Meme Express made ?
Framework
Align with mobile first design, Flutter is in used. For simple tools, Flutter is a perfect cross-platform solution, when we can write code once then port to iOS, Android, WebApp, Window and Linux application.
Deploy
For Android version, it is published via Playstore normally, at here: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.ease_studio.meme. Unlike other cross-platform framework that utilize in-app web view to mimic mobile app, Flutter ports application to a native Android app.
For iOS version, Flutter can port app to native iOS code as well. But because 99$/year is not an option here, PWA version comes as a rescue.
To publish a PWA version, a hosting server is required. A hosting server requires monthly cost. Luckily, Github Page allow us to deploy a web app from a repository for free and it can be accessed via URL username.github.io/app-name , for example with Meme Express, it is https://ease-studio.github.io/meme-pwa/ . Github Page also allows to map a domain name to it. For example here, https://meme-express.io.vn/ actually points to https://ease-studio.github.io/meme-pwa/ .
Make it Installable
To make a web app installable, aka make it a PWA app, a file manifest.json is added. manifest.json structured is defined at: https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Progressive_web_apps/Manifest.
Install PWA app
Below is a demonstration of installing an PWA app to an iPhone, taking Meme Express as an example. Simply put:
- Open Safari go to https://meme-express.io.vn/
- tap “Share” icon
- tap “Add to Home Screen”
TheTechLead 